


Unrequited

by chenpai



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: BaekYeol - Freeform, ChanBaek - Freeform, M/M, Unrequited Love, school!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-18 18:31:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7325794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenpai/pseuds/chenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baekhyun answered by tipping his toes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unrequited

Chanyeol wasn't one for words. He was the kind of guy who looked fiercely at everyone, whether it be someone he knew for life or someone new. There was no difference. Baekhyun wasn't an exception to that, but then everyone knew just how much effort he puts in their friendship, so much that he'd always be the one running around trying to keep up with the taller's phase. Chanyeol always looked like he didn't care, but Baekhyun believed that he did. Deep in Chanyeol's heart, the small brunet believed that his best friend was just having that much of a difficulty to opening his heart to anyone again.

Baekhyun has always been there with Chanyeol. If you asked a certan person of either, they would always say that they're together for that was true, judging by the way that the smaller boy is always tailing the lanky one. Be it in the halls or in the cafeteria, Byun Baekhyun would always be yapping on his own with Park Chanyeol as his audience, but then again he's barely there when you get a good look into the picture. It all looked sad to be honest, and almost everyone in the campus just wondered when Baekhyun would be disillusioned or when will Chanyeol finally realise that it's only Baekhyun who actually cares for him as much as their eyes make it appear. In a way, everyone gave them their own space, watching from afar if things would ever get better for the two. It wasn't that much of a secret of how much the smaller boy actually liked the other. They secretly wanted them to become a couple already, but Chanyeol's as dense as any solid object in existence.

 

It was a Sunday morning and Baekhyun was crossing the road towards Chanyeol's door. He knew that Chanyeol's parents went on a business trip and that the taller was alone in their place so Baekhyun got permission to stay with him even if it's just for the day. He would knock in some kind of pattern that Chanyeol would eventually just leave the door open for him after doing so, for he already knew that it'd be him on the other side of the door.

The smaller would wave with a small "hi," paired with a tight-lipped smile because it had always been like that between them since who knew when. Baekhyun always stayed the night as children, but along the way, the taller seemed like he begun to dislike the way he would be imposing on him like this. But Chanyeol was a good kid to his parents-- always obeying them. Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol only ever stuck with him because their parents were friends. He still believed that Chanyeol would accept him again though. Maybe not as what he hoped for. Being a friend-- like before would suffice. He just didn't like how the tall boy always pushed everyone away. Oftentimes, he found himself even wondering why he's trying when obviously every step closer was two steps back whenever Chanyeol would notice him trying to invade his space.

Sometimes Baekhyun wondered... What if he gave up?

 

. . .

 

Baekhyun didn't come over that day and Chanyeol wondered why. He didn't remember saying anything wrong-- or saying anything at all when Baekhyun confessed to him the other day before he left for home at his doorstep. Chanyeol did remember hearing "that's what i thought" but he didn't know what it meant, or why it was said. All he knew was that he kept the facade, trying to look unaffected because if he didn't, he probably would have peed in his pants for the fact that "holy shit Baekhyun confessed to me?!"

It wasn't always like this. When they were younger, Chanyeol was just as outgoing and friendly as Baekhyun was. They were the duo. They were the bestest of friends and everyone envied their friendship. Chanyeol didn't know himself as to why he started to push people away. All he remembered was that one time when he actually dared to go behind Baekhyun's back and left him for a thing with a bunch of his few other friends-- Where they ended up messing around in a room, ended up watching porn. It scared Chanyeol because they were hitting puberty then, and while he was beginning to change, Baekhyun didn't really seem like he was too. It scared him because as he sat there being affected by the graphic way of ravaging someone without censorship, Chanyeol actually had his best friend in mind. That he wanted himself and Baekhyun in that situation as well. Needless to say, Chanyeol cut off ties with that group, and though he wanted to do the same to Baekhyun-- he just couldn't, because it would kill him to see Baekhyun cry like he used to. It still had the same effect on him even in the present.

So there Chanyeol was, walking lifelessly in school. It didn't really seem to go noticed because he knew he always had that facial expression ever since that time. He just needed Baekhyun's presence again but it was getting tiring not knowing where the boy went. Chanyeol always ended up wandering somewhere he didn't know and end up not finding the brunet at all. By then, he concluded that Baekhyun was hiding from him. Chanyeol was okay with letting the other have his space. For now.

 

Another week passes, and this time it's all obvious to the other students. Chanyeol knew they were talking about how Baekhyun hasn't been with him for a while now, and he hoped that Baekhyun knew as well so that he'd return by his side to prove them wrong. No, they did not have a fight and no, Baekhyun did not give up on him! Chanyeol wanted to stomp his feet at those students who said so, but he couldn't for the fact that he wasn't really known to have such capabilities. They always thought he was incapable of feeling something-- or expressing it for the lack of words. He literally lived the stupid life of an ice prince like in those plain boring stories. Not that he minded because Baekhyun was supposedly the muse, according to some people.

What Chanyeol didn't expect was to see Baekhyun walking out of his classroom arm in arm with someone he didn't know. What he didn't expect was to be greatly affected by it, for his heart to ache like it did and for Baekhyun to catch a glimpse of him. Chanyeol didn't know why his throat ached, like it was going to blow up and why his eyes felt like they were going to melt and leak out of its sockets by the way it stung and burn. Staring at Baekhyun had never felt so weird in all the years they shared except for that specific moment, and the taller boy could do nothing but run away, out of the campus, out of everyone's sight-- out of Baekhyun's sight.

Chanyeol knew Baekhyun won't be able to run after him. And he was okay with that because he wasn't going to stop him from leaving him. It was high time that Baekhyun looked for someone else. Chanyeol never really put in effort when it came to Baekhyun. This was bound to happen. He just didn't know how much he didn't want it to.

 

Without bothering to find out where his parents had gone to, Chanyeol dumped his bag beside the door, knocking himself at the couch. He was crying. He didn't realise that he was crying until he reached the subdivision entrance with the guard asking him if he needed help. Chanyeol had to run home because what the hell, who knew what he looked like then?

He didn't know for how long he lodged himself on the couch, curled up in a corner just sobbing the worries away. This was it. Baekhyun was leaving him for someone else, Baekhyun won't look for him anymore, he won't talk to him anymore and he'll be forgotten. Chanyeol didn't know how to express it anymore but he was scared-- terrified of the idea of having no Baekhyun by his side. Maybe Baekhyun would tell him soon-- but who the heck comes to you to tell you 'hey i'm cutting ties with you so we should stop communicating forever'. Chanyeol lowered his head with a sob. He was making it worse for himself.

His breathing came riddled, Chanyeol's head whipping quickly towards the door because there's a knock there and he knew that it was Baekhyun. He couldn't bring himself to open the door though. He was scared. Baekhyun was going to end their friendship now for sure-- He wouldn't want some awkward giant crybaby by his side for sure. He'd rather ignore him forever so that won't end their friendship. He should buy himself time like this.

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun called from outside, "I know you're home, won't you open the door?"

The taller shook his head, staring at the source of the voice. He'd rather not.

"Are you crying...? Chanyeol?" Baekhyun tried again but Chanyeol didn't want to face him like this. It's so stupid-- Baekhyun would think it's uncool. "I guess I worried for nothing, then?" His voice came, soft and uncertain, Chanyeol could hear it. That same tone he used days ago when he walked off after he told him that he liked him. The tall boy didn't know but it had him swallowing another lump in his throat, got him standing up and ready to burst out of the door. But then he was hearing nothing anymore. No Baekhyun.

Chanyeol's eyes widened at the realisation. Biting his lips, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hands at the same time and charged for the door. He was just in time to see Baekhyun ascending the stairs to their own place, just across his. And for the first time in a long time, he pulls a hand towards the side of his mouth to amplify his voice, "Baekhyun!"

Said boy seemed just as shocked, because he jumps in startle, turning around dramatically. Chanyeol rushed out and crossed the road in between them, and he huffed heavy breaths, his heart pounding and all that. He realised that he was still actually crying, but it wasn't as hard as before. His tears just kept coming, and he didn't know how to stop them. Well he'd rather face Baekhyun in tears than stay in tears forever because his best friend-- His first love will leave him if he kept going with the way he did.

Chanyeol very slowly approached the porch. Baekhyun's mouth was agape, staring at him, watching him. And he couldn't do anything but rush in as he neared the brunet. He quickly embraced him, pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him. Chanyeol swallowed heavily as he felt the same fears rushing in all at once. Burying his face on the crook of Baekhyun's neck-- which for sure made him look stupid by how their heights differed, but he didn't care-- Chanyeol let out a sob escape him. "I'm sorry for being stupid." He whispered, "I'm sorry for being cold-- I'm sorry for not talking to you like before. I'm sorry for pushing you away, I'm sorry."

"Chanyeo--"

"Please, please, please don't leave me. Please." He sobbed onto the smaller's shirt. "Baek, please? Please I'll die."

He didn't know what was going on at that point. Chanyeol only had one thing in mind and that was to make Baekhyun understand that he wasn't ignoring him, or that he was doing things deliberately to end their friendship. It's just that they all came like a huge wave that he ended up spewing every word that came in his head. Chanyeol's all blurred by the tears but he didn't mind as long as Baekhyun saw how much he wanted to make everything okay between them again.

"Please don't leave me, Baek." He said in between sobs. Pulling away from the smaller, Chanyeol didn't really have anymore shame left as he continued on, "A-and this may come years too late-- but I like you too. I love you." He frowned, letting the tears come even more.

Chanyeol didn't know what to choose by then, what was better. Because Baekhyun's hands felt warm against his shoulders, but then his soft lips against his was even better. Baekhyun answered by tipping his toes.


End file.
